Graham's Creek

Good Friday Wall

The Details: These are the north facing walls fairly obviously visible from the carpark about half way up the hill (unless regrowth has obscured them!). These orange walls are really attractive, shame there's a few blank bits but the existing routes all look great.

Access: 25-30 min walk. 3hrs 45 mins drive from Melbourne. Park on Harrop Track, 700m north of where it crosses Graham's Ck. There is a knee-high cairn here, usually with a head high tree branch propped up. The walking track is marked with tape (at first) and then also with cairns up the hill. At first you go directly away from the road (east) through flat bushy areas, but trend a little to your right, starting to contour the very slight hill. Soon you will hit an old vehicle track. Turn right (south) and follow it for 20m or so, then break left (south east) and keep contouring around the gentle hillside and dropping into the little valley and the creek itself. Cross the creek, then the walking quickly gets steeper as you start grinding uphill, trending left of the fall line (south east) at first then up the top of the wide ridge (east). Soon you will trend left off the top of the ridge to contour around to the start of the crag (and above Baby Buttress). The track was pretty well worn by the end of the 2005 developments, and well cairned too, so hopefully it should be pretty easy to follow.

Descent(s): Mostly walk downs.

A view from the carpark. Marked crags are Good Friday Walls and Gully on the right, the stunning Flame Wall in the middle, and the complete waste of space but very large Diseased Wall on the left.

HB on Battle of the Bulge (26). The start is a crazy leap to the chalked jug.

HB mid-crux on Battle of the Bulge (26).

HB still going on Battle of the Bulge (26). Ralph's Journey, an excellent looking 24, is behind the callitris pine on the left.

Flame Wall

The Details: No doubt a zillion climbers have cruised along Harrop Track in the arvo and spied this jaw dropping chunk of orange goodness glowing flourescently in the arvo sun. And, no doubt, it's location way up near the top if the range explains why it never got a going over before.

Access: The walk is 45 minutes if you're reasonably fit, or up to an hour. 3hrs 45 mins drive from Melbourne. Walk up as for Good Friday Walls (see above). Walk L uphill along the base of that whole crag, then continue up for another few minutes to emerge on a large flat area of stepped rock platforms and a good view of the increasingly impressive Flame Wall, with a creek between you and it. Turn R here for about 150m along the rock platforms until possible to scramble down off the edge of them (there are cairns). You should find the trail again which basically leads you steeply straight down for 50m to the creek and straight up the other side again to the crag. The creek flows surprisingly well and by trusting it we saved carrying a few kilos of water all the way up the hill. But it's certainly not permanent, so probably not worth risking unless Graham's Creek is flowing well down at Harrop Track. The sloping platform up left, below Slow Burn, is generally where everyone drops their bags and has lunch etc.

Descent(s): Rap anchors above everything.

Described L to R.

The Thin Red Line 20m 29?
Extremely attractive - and even more extremely thin! Here's a photo of Steve working it and discovering it's closer to 35 than 25. Yes, its an open project, and looks bloody great if this grade appeals - knock yourselves out! Slow Burn is on the right of shot.

** Slow Burn 20m 23 (FA)
A cracking line kindly handed over by the Yerbas - with the first bolt already in place! (Although this did lead me to overlook the need for a bolt for the direct start up to the ledge - one day I'll get around to going back and putting it in - unless a good samaritan does it for me...hint hint). Anyway, start below the open project then move right along the ledge to the FH beside the short steep flake. Bump up this then undercling to the next short thin crack (small-med wires), to a delicate span right and a cool balancy clipping position. The R-facing flake is fused so there's more thin moves up to the break and a good clipping hold for the next FH, then the crux is a throw or a fierce little crimp move to the next break, then a few more pumpy moves on slopey breaks (optional med cam) lead to a ledge. Doddle up the easy corner (trad gear if you like) to the high DRB (they're up here so as to be accessible from the top). One of my favourite new routes.

Here's me trying to send Slow Burn with dead arms from all the drilling and jugging.

And a view from the top of Slow Burn of Mike sussing things out.

And here's Gareth flashing Slow Burn for the third ascent.

*** Out of Control 20m 24 (RP)
Another ripping route, this time all bolts. If the first 10m wasn't slabby rubbish it would be in the top 10 routes I've ever done, because the superb technical slopey crux and the fabulous dangling roof moves and laughably pumpy headwall are simply superb. Get into it!

Gareth casually onsights the slopey technical crux of Out of Control.

Robin turns the lip on the fantastic monstrous roof of Out of Control, with Neil in the background contemplating just how overhung his route Flaming Lips is going to be.

Robin carries on up his classic Out of Control.

Neil moves into the steepness on Flaming Lips.

Neil trying to put out the flames on Flaming Lips.

Gareth reaches the last of the Flaming Lips.

Diseased Wall

A view of Diseased Wall from the base of Flame Wall. Marked routes are Laryngitis (7), Bronchitis (7), and Spinal Column (20).

More Internet Sites on Graham's Creek Climbing

© 2007 Will